Revenge of the Phoenix
by DiamondGirl140
Summary: Skye Ranger was once part of a team, until one day she was left behind, presumed dead. 100 years later she returns to get her revenge.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first FanFiction, so I hope you guys enjoy it! Thanks to MidnightForest037 for beta'ing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, although the OC's are mine.**

* * *

My heart pounded in my chest. My legs felt like jelly, and my breath was short and raspy. I could pass out at any second.

But I couldn't quit.

Quitting would mean bad things for me. Imprisonment, if I was lucky, or most likely certain death.

I watched the thick layers of forest blur past me. I had no idea where I was going, or when I would stop.

My time was running out; I couldn't run forever.

The darkness started creeping into the edges of my vision, making it hard to see where I was going.

I could hear the men gaining behind me. I risked a glance back and could just make out the biggest one a few metres behind me. I grinned, which only seemed to antagonise him further. Oops. These men were mortals, part of a local gang. I had been given the assignment of killing their leader and they were a bit annoyed at me for killing their boss. The problem was, since they were not sorcerers, I wasn't meant to use magic in front of them. Even if that was a rule established by the Sanctuaries, and I worked against them.

A tree loomed up in front of me and instead of going around, I made the split decision to jump up into the branches. I could hear the cries of the men wondering where I had just disappeared to. There was a faint pop behind me, and I smiled.

"Sullen Token. I thought you had abandoned me back there."

"Phoenix. So nice to see you again." Sullen, living up to his name, glared at me. He put his hand on my shoulder and I barely had time to blink before I was back in the warehouse. Token stalked off, probably to go yell at puppies, or pick up another agent, or whatever he did in his free time. I turned and walked towards the back of the warehouse.

I came to the far wall, and making sure no one was around, I slid open a hidden panel. A small camera appeared and after completing a retina scan, a small light flashed, and the camera disappeared. There was a short pause as my entry was authorised before part of the wall slid away, revealing and elevator. I stepped into it, and it immediately started descending into the ground. I picked up a jacket that was hanging on the wall, slipping it on just as the elevator started to slow.

When the doors opened, I was met with my dispatcher.

"Phoenix", he greeted. I nodded before following him down the corridor. As we walked, some other agents glanced at my jacket before looking away, as if I was going to kill or seriously main them if they looked a moment longer. My call sign was infamous, and I did wear it on my jacket while I was on base. It was a red phoenix under a black claw, the phoenix my codename and callsign and the claw to show that I was a fully-fledged agent/assassin.

The organisation I worked for was called the Black Claw. It was an organisation working out of the shadows, dedicated to bringing down the Sanctuaries. We believed they corrupted the sorcerers, and although they kept mortals from knowing about the 'other world', there were better ways to do that. Our organisation operated out of London, but I was sent on missions all around the globe. The English Sanctuary had been trying to track as down and take us apart for decades, without success.

My dispatcher stopped outside an office, motioning for me to step inside. I was mildly surprised to see Brett Ward sitting at the desk, reading some files. "The job's done?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes. I ran into a bit of trouble at the end, but Token got there in time." He nodded, then handed me an envelope along with two files. "Your next mission."

I sat down. "What exactly would this job entail?"

"Going to Ireland. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain are becoming a major threat. I need them to be eliminated." I started to smile. Ireland. I would finally have a chance to get revenge on my former teammates. And on the very soil they abandoned me on.

* * *

Valkyrie stood at the pier, watching the waves crash over the rocks as she waited for Skulduggery. When the Bentley drove up, she got in. Skulduggery didn't say anything, simply started driving. After a minute of this, Valkyrie turned towards him. "Ok, what's up? You're never this quiet." Skulduggery kept his eyes on the road. "There was a strange murder last night. Eric Sullivan. He was a sorcerer living in Dublin. His wife doesn't know about magic. She goes to her mother's house on the weekend, leaving Eric alone. When she returns, Eric is lying on the floor with his throat slit."

Valkyrie frowned. "So? She would have called the mortal police, and they would have taken care of it."

"There were scorch marks on the walls. Geoffrey Scrutinous was there earlier, convincing the Guard that there was nothing fishy about this, but he claimed the scorch marks were consistent with that of an energy thrower."

Valkyrie shrugged. "So why are you mentioning this? Shouldn't we be talking about how we can find that man who set the Jitter Girls on us?" They passed a sign for Dublin. "Where are we going, by the way?"

* * *

I stood in China Sorrows' library, waiting. Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain were bound to come in soon for information. I had read their files. Valkyrie Cain was an interesting girl. Found out about the world of magic at 12 when her uncle was murdered. Since then she had been trained by Skulduggery and some of the best fighters in the world. Not someone to underestimate.

I took a cloaking sphere out of my pocket and twisted it, then started walking to the door As I headed towards China's apartment, Skulduggery Pleasant entered the library. I froze, hoping that as an elemental he wouldn't notice my disturbance in the air. Luckily, he didn't.

As I moved to stand outside China's apartment, I heard voices coming from inside. China and Valkyrie. I could just make out what they were saying.

"How long have you been going out with Fletcher?"

"A year and a half, maybe." Valkyrie responded. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Once, China Sorrows had led the Diablerie. She was a fearsome woman on the battlefield, someone you did not want to cross. And now, she spent her days sitting around, talking about love lives.

"If you care for him, and I know you care for him, you won't want to hurt him. But time passes and feelings deepen. And that's when the real hurt will set in. Are you taking him to the Ball?"

"The what?" Valkyrie sounded confused.

"The Requiem Ball, dear."

Of course. The Requiem Ball. Held every ten years to commemorate the end of the war with Mevolent. A perfect chance to get more information on their allies while I waited for them to take the bait. As I travelled outside, I pressed the button on my com system to pass on the information to headquarters. "This is Phoenix. I have more information on the targets. I repeat, I have more information. Base, come in."

The com system crackled with static as I entered my car and started driving. "Well done, Agent Skye."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Sorry about the long delay between chapters, but school started recently so I haven't had as much time to write. Thanks to MidnightForest037 for beta'ing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, only the OC's are mine.**

* * *

 _Flashback:_

 _The Dead Men were resting after a long mission when they heard raised voices coming from another room in the building. They all glanced at each other and stood up to check it out. As they neared the room, Saracen Rue frowned._

" _Hey, isn't that Corrival Deuce?"_

 _Ghastly Bespoke sighed. "Yes, and I know who's arguing with him." He pushed open the door and walked into the room. A girl turned around, glaring at the intruders. When she saw Ghastly however, she smiled. "What are you doing here? I thought you guys were still in Avignon!"_

 _She walked over to hug Ghastly. Vex couldn't deny that she was very pretty, with her golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes, but she also looked very young. Ghastly laughed. "We only just got back."_

 _Dexter Vex frowned. "How do you two know each other?" Ghastly turned around. Him and the girl both hesitated. "It's a long story." She said._

 _Corrival cleared his throat. "If I could have your attention please? Thank you. I'm assuming you lads came over because you heard us," he gestured to himself and the girl, "arguing."_

" _Well… yes," said Rue. Corrival nodded. "I figured. Well, this here is Skye Ranger. She's an Adept and has been training in various fighting techniques for years. She is also going with you on your next mission."_

 _The Dead Men stared at him for a few seconds, wondering if he was joking. "You can't expect us to take her with us. How old is she? Has she even had her surge yet?" Skulduggery Pleasant asked. Skye glared at him. "I'm nineteen, and no, I haven't had my surge yet. And just for your information, I'm not happy about this either._

 _Saracen's face was incredulous. He turned to Corrival. "Your asking us to babysit a nineteen-year-old who hasn't even had her surge yet. She'll be killed!" Skye glared at him, which made Saracen recoil slightly. "I don't need anyone to babysit me," she said quietly._

" _You haven't even seen her fight yet," Ghastly interjected. "She might surprise you."_

" _Fine." Shudder spoke up. "How about we pick someone to fight her, and if she wins, we'll give her a chance."_

 _Dexter rolled his eyes as everyone else started bickering about it. "I'll do it," he announced, strolling forward. Skye smirked. "Ok. How about we do this with no magic?" Dexter shrugged. "Ok."_

 _Skye walked over to the other side of the room and came back wearing a scabbard on her back. At Dex's raised eyebrow she said, "You didn't say no weapons." Dex shrugged. It's not like he needed a weapon to beat her._

 _Dexter's fists flashed out, but Skye was faster than he was expecting. She ducked under the punches and slammed her elbow into the side of his head. His head snapped back, but he ducked the next punch thrown his way. Skye tried to throw another punch, but he grabbed her fist and pulled her forward. As she stumbled forward, he slipped behind her and attempted to put her in a choke hold, but she held her chin down to her chest. Instead, his arm tightened around her jaw. Skye pretended to panic and flailed slightly, attempting to elbow his side. After a few seconds he seemed to remember that she was still young, and his hold loosened a little._

 _This was what Skye had been waiting for. As soon and he loosened his hold a little, she ducked down and used her momentum to flip Dexter over her onto the floor. Before he had time to react, there was a flash of gold, and Skye was kneeling on his chest, one knee against his windpipe, holding her falchion close to his face. She counted to five, then slowly stood up and slip her falchion back into its scabbard on her back. There was an awkward silence while Dexter got up and brushed himself off. Everyone looked over at Skye, and Skulduggery seemed to be contemplating something. "Well," said Shudder, breaking the silence. "I guess she's coming with us."_

* * *

There was a box on the table when they walked into Skulduggery's house. It was done up with a ribbon tied into a bow. Valkyrie opened it, took out a beautiful black dress.

"Wow," she said.

"Normally Ghastly would have been happy to make you a dress," Skulduggery said, "but all his spare time is invested in tracking down Tanith. So, I thought I would spoil you."

"This is… wow."

"I'm glad you like it. We leave for the Ball in twenty minutes."

For the last week, I had kept updated on what Skulduggery and Valkyrie were up to. Now, the Requiem Ball was coming up, and I had to look the part. My normally golden blonde hair was short and brown. My dress was knee length dark blue and sleeveless. Over that, I had on a stealth suit that had enabled me to sneak into the grounds. I was all set.

I stood in the shadow of the house, watching all the fancy cars driving in. Then I spotted it. The sleek Bentley driving in. Skulduggery and Valkyrie got out, Skulduggery wearing a tux, and Valkyrie wearing a beautiful black dress. Time to enter the Ball. I yanked down the zipper on the stealth suit and stepped out of it.

I slipped through a window into an empty room, then walked towards the music and laughter. I painted a smile on my face, then took a deep breath. During the war, the only people who had ever seen me dressed up like this were the Dead Men, but that had been over a hundred years ago, so there was a good chance that no one would recognise me.

As soon as I walked into the main ballroom I saw my targets. They were chatting to Ghastly Bespoke, one of the Elders. When I saw Ghastly, my heart wrenched. However much I hated the other Dead Men for abandoning me, Ghastly was one of my oldest friends. I flicked the professional switch in my head. _Come on Skye. You can't afford to get distracted. Stay focused on the job._ Then, when the crowd suddenly parted, I saw Dexter Vex.

I silently cursed and ducked into the crowd, hoping he hadn't seen me. Out of all the dead men, he would be the most likely to remember me. What the hell was he doing here? The intel I had said that he was in Russia on some adventure. An extra Dead Man was probably not a good thing. I couldn't be noticed by the Dead Men yet, as it would almost certainly ruin my plan. I could also easily take them down one at a time, but all of them together? No way. I took a deep breath. All I had to do was stick to the plan and I would be fine.

* * *

After a while, Skulduggery had finally left Valkyrie's side to talk to some old friends of his. The other Dead Men were nowhere to be seen, so I walked up to her.

"Oh gosh, are you Valkyrie Cain?" I asked, faking a bright American accent. She turned around. "Uh, yeah…" she said, unsure. "Who are you?"

I tried to resist the urge to strangle her. "I'm Sasha," I lied. "It's amazing to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you, like how you saved the world when you were only 13." I gushed. She smiled. "Um, thanks, I guess." She awkwardly said.

"Anyway, I'd better go talk to some old friends. Say high to Dexter and Ghastly for me, won't you," I said with a wink. As Valkyrie turned around to look at them, I slipped into the crowd. My plan was set.

* * *

"It was nice meeting…" Valkyrie trailed off as she turned around and saw the woman was gone. _That was weird._ It was that moment that Ghastly and Dexter walked up to her. "How are you enjoying the Ball?" Ghastly asked her. She smiled. "Its alright, I guess." Valkyrie turned to face them both. "Do you know anyone called Sasha?" Dexter and Ghastly shared a look. "The name doesn't sound familiar, why?"

"A woman named Sasha told me to say hi to you guys." Vex nodded. "A lot of pretty woman do that."

Ghastly took it a bit more seriously. "What did she look like?"

"Uh, she had shoulder length brown hair, and was wearing a dark blue dress. Also, judging by her posture, I'm pretty sure she had knife strapped to her thigh." Ghastly and Dexter both frowned.

"Why would you bring a knife to the Ball?" Murmured Dexter. Ghastly smiled. "Well, I can think of one girl who would." Dexter laughed. "That's right, she would always bring weapons to the most inappropriate places. Remember Corrival's birthday? She brought her sword."

"Although she did end up saving all of our lives."

Skulduggery walked up to them. "Who are you talking about?"

Ghastly smiled sadly. "Skye."

Valkyrie frowned. "Who's she?"

Skulduggery tilted his head, as if remembering something from long ago. "She was one of the sorcerers who fought in the war with Mevolent. She died on a raid of one of Mevolent's bases."

"We weren't expecting that many soldiers to be there," Ghastly said. "It was only meant to be a small base, but we had destroyed a lot of other bases, so they were holed up in that one. Skye…" He trailed off.

"She held them off while we retreated. She was caught in an explosion and didn't make it out." Finished Dexter.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Skulduggery held up his glass. "To Hopeless, Larrikin and Skye."

They all echoed his toast, and no one saw Dexter Vex turn to wipe a few tears away.

* * *

As soon as I talked to Valkyrie, I started walking towards the exit. I hadn't been there long, but I had gotten all the intel I needed. The problem was there were so many people packed into one ballroom, it made it hard to manoeuvre around them. I was itching to use my power, but it would instantly give me away.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy. The floor seemed to sway under my feet, and then there was nothing.

Ghastly laughed politely as he listened to a woman drone on about all her dogs. _I hate being an elder_ he moaned to himself, not for the first time that night. As he glanced over her shoulder, he noticed a young woman who looked familiar. He frowned. "Excuse me," he said to the lady he was talking to. She started sputtering as he abruptly walked off, but he ignored her. There was just something about that woman that seemed so …familiar. He was steadily moving towards her when his vision dimmed. People started dropping around him, and as he slipped away from this world, there was one name on his mind. _Skye…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! Sorry for not updating sooner, school was just crazy this term and I haven't had much time to write. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

 **Thanks to MidnightForest037 for beta'ing.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, although the OC's are mine.**

* * *

Ghastly took a deep breath and opened his eyes. _What the hell just happened?_ He wondered. Around him, people were sitting up and looking confused. He was trying to remember what he had been thinking about – _he knew it was important_ – when his phone rang.

"Hello?" He said tiredly.

"Ghastly? Can you hear me?" It was Valkyrie. Suddenly her voice cut off. "Valkyrie? Is something wrong?" He sighed and looked at his phone.

"Are you alright Elder Bespoke?" A woman next to him was looking at him with concern on her face. "Yeah, fine," he muttered, distracted. What on earth had just happened?

* * *

I opened my eyes. _What the hell just happened?_ I was lying on the floor, along with everyone else at the Ball. All I could remember was trying to leave and then – what, fainting? Did everyone just faint at the same time?

I shakily stood up and took a deep breath. I looked behind me and saw Ghastly on his phone. _Time to leave._

In the confusion, it was easy to walk out, and no one saw me leave while they were preoccupied with something else.

As soon as I arrived back at the warehouse I was currently living in, the earpiece crackled in my ear.

"Agent Skye, how was the party?" The voice of Brett Ward filled my ear. "It was wonderful, thank you for asking. Apart from the little fainting epidemic that seemed to hit everyone at the end, I had a great time, really." I responded sarcastically. "By the way, did you happen to know that Dexter Vex is back in the country? The same Dexter Vex who happens to have been a member of the Dead Men?"

"Look, Skye, I know you have history with the Dead Men, especially Dexter, but you can't let it distract you from your job."

I glared at the wall. "Actually, that's not what I was worried about. I was worried about the fact that this makes five Dead Men in Ireland. Five people who know my strengths and weaknesses. 5 people who could potentially figure out that I'm still alive."

His voice turned hard. "Yes, but that was roughly a hundred years ago. They've gone soft after the war, whereas you have been training hard every day. The research you have gathered for us so far has been extremely valuable to us, and I have your next assignment. The Elders need to be eliminated."

This could not get any worse.

* * *

As it turns out, it could get worse. The Sanctuary was in Roarhaven, as it had been for a couple of years. No one really knew where Roarhaven was, so I got lost a couple of times. Then, when I was looking at the files for the Elders, there was almost nothing on Madame Mist. All I knew was that she was a creepy Child of the Spider. Although that was probably all anyone knew.

The security around the new sanctuary was pathetic. It was so easy to sneak in. I only saw a single Cleaver the entire time I was there. I guess they had to cut down on Cleaver numbers after everything that had happened in the past couple of years.

The Elder I had decided to target first was Ghastly. I might as well get it over and done with, right? I figured that he would be the hardest to get rid of, because of his strength and the fact that I once was friends with him. As I was thinking, I heard voices somewhere near me, so I crept around the corridors until I found the room they were coming from. There were several voices present in there, way too many for only three Elders. I silently crept closer to the door so I could make out their conversation clearly.

"…some problems with your sorcerers, we hear." My eyes widened. It was Quintin Strom, the Grand Mage of the English Sanctuary. Why was he here?

"I'm afraid you've been misinformed," the smooth voice of Erskine ravel entered the conversation. "Our mages are all doing fine." I rolled my eyes. Yeah, sure they were.

"Oh! In which case I apologise. Its just that we've had reports of disturbances in practically every corner of the country. You're saying these reports are inaccurate?"

It took all my self-control not to just murder that smug bastard.

"I'm not saying that at all," replied Ravel. "But the problems are not our sorcerers."

"Ah yes, we heard that, too. Something is affecting the mortal population here, yes? Dreadful, dreadful business. If you need any help – "

"Thank you, but no." Ravel cut him off. "We have it under control." _Do you really, Ravel?_ I mentally chastised him. _Do you?_

"Are you quite sure? I don't mean to condescend, Grand Mage Ravel, but I have a lot more experience running sanctuaries than you do, and there is no shame in accepting assistance when it is offered."

What was happening? Sanctuaries aren't allowed to meddle in other Sanctuaries business, unless there was major threat like Mevolent.

"Thank you for clarifying." Ravel replied. There was a slight edge in his voice, almost undetectable unless you knew him well.

A new voice spoke up. He sounded young, and had an American accent. "Unfortunately, things may not be so simple. The purpose of a Sanctuary is to oversee the magical communities and protect the mortals from the truth. If even one Sanctuary fails in its obligations, the success of every other Sanctuary will amount to naught. To use a horribly overused phrase, the chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

Wow. That was cruel.

A softer voice spoke up. "And you are saying that we are this weak link?"

"Oh, heavens, no," the American man said. _Yeah. We all believe you._ "All I'm saying is that this Sanctuary has had more than its fair share of crises to deal with. Given the pressure you've been under, even the strongest link will strain."

What was the point they were trying to make? Yeah, a lot had happened in Ireland in the past few years. So? Like any other Sanctuary would be able to deal with this in a better way. This was one of the reasons the Black Claw wanted to get rid of all the Sanctuaries. They never worked well together, and never accomplished more than arguing and fighting over who was more powerful.

They bickered a bit more. I almost left, before the conversation got interesting.

"The other Sanctuaries are worried. They want reassurances that you are prepared and that you are capable. And so, I am among the three they have elected to act as their representatives to – "

"I'm sorry," Ghastly spoke up. "What?"

"They elected you? When? In what forum?" Ravel sounded angry.

Strom tried to unsuccessfully calm them down. "It was a private meeting," he said, "where we all came together to voice our concerns."

"Without inviting us."

I frowned. Why hadn't I heard about this? The Black Claw had spies everywhere, in all the Sanctuaries. I was having a word with that idiot Ward when I got back to London.

Then there was some subtle threatening. Strom listed every threat that Ireland had faced in the recent years. Then he finally got to his point. "We're simply offering you support, Erskine. If we feel like your Sanctuary is strong enough, then that is what we'll report back, and the matter will be forgotten."

"And if you don't feel that we're strong enough?" Mist said.

"Then we'll help you. We'll supply you with Cleavers, with sorcerers should you need them. There is also, I suppose, the option of sharing responsibility."

There was an edge to Ghastly's voice. "Meaning you'd take over."

"No, of course not. We're here to help, for God's sake. We don't have an ulterior motive."

"And if we don't want you here?"

"I'm afraid we'd have to insist. And I mean no disrespect when I say this, but the supreme council has been granted certain powers of veto and authority that I'm sure we can discuss at greater length later. "

"Certain powers," Madame Mist said, "that were not agreed upon by us."

"That is true." Sult admitted. "If you want to deny us access, that is your right. However, such a move could cut you off from the rest of the world. You'd be isolated. Alone. With no one to call on for help should you need it."

"That sounds like a veiled threat, Mr Sult."

"I apologise. I only meant to stress the seriousness of the situation."

Ravel spoke up. "I think we're beginning to grasp it," he said. "We'll need a couple of days to discuss your… proposal before giving an answer."

There was the sound of a chair scraping, and I assumed Strom had just stood up. "Of course. We have sorcerers and Cleavers standing by, ready to help in a purely supportive capacity, but we can only keep them in place for seven days. After this day next week, our offer of assistance must be withdrawn."

As the door opened, I retreated into the shadows so that they couldn't see me. Quintin Strom and the rest of the Supreme Council strode out of the room. Now only the Irish Elders were left in the room.

A wave of fear hit me. Could I really do this? Could I kill my former best friend? _They left you behind,_ I reminded myself. _They don't deserve your pity._ As the Elders turned the corner, I stayed still, invisible against the wall as I watched them walk off.

* * *

 _One thing Skye learnt about the Dead Men on this mission was that they liked to joke. A lot. It got really annoying after a while, so she started to always walk ahead of everyone, cutting her way through the thick bush with her falchion. She really loved her falchion._

 _Skye sighed as she once again heard Larrikin and Shudder arguing._

" _For the last time Larrikin, we AREN'T BATTLE BUDDIES."_

 _Larrikin pouted. "Fine. Battle friends works too, I guess, it just sounds less cool."_

 _Skye rolled her eyes. She started wishing she was back home, where she could get some peace and quiet. Her train of thought was interrupted by Dexter Vex._

" _So, Skye. What exactly is your power?"_

 _She rolled her eyes and continued slashing at the branches. "Why do you need to know my power?"_

" _Because we're teammates!" He exclaimed. "Teammates have to trust each other with that kind of information."_

 _Skye looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Do you know Saracen's power?"_

 _Dexter glared at her, but the glare started to melt into a pout. "I will find out. One day."_

 _Skye nodded. "I'm sure you will."_

 _The Dead Men finally reached the area where they would be setting up their camp, and also where they would be spending the next week._

" _Home sweet home," Ghastly muttered, looking around the small clearing. Skye walked into the centre, then dumped her bag on the ground. "I'm going to scout out the area." She announced. She really needed some quite time, after that walk. A few minutes later, a Falcon soared overhead, letting out a loud screech before disappearing again from view._

 _Dexter looked up when the bird screeched. He squinted up at the sky, watching the bird as it disappeared from view. He felt like every time the Dead Men were on a mission like this, he would always see a bird of prey._

 _Breaking out of his musing, Dex turned to Ghastly. "So, Ghastly," he began. Ghastly interrupted him. "I'm not telling you Skye's power Dexter."_

" _Dammit," he muttered._

* * *

" _Where's Skye?" Saracen asked, looking around the campsite. "She's been gone for at least on hour."_

 _Larrikin spoke up. "Maybe she's been eaten by wolves." He yelped as Shudder smacked his arm._

 _Dexter sighed. Hopeless had been injured in their last mission, which was why Larrikin was with them. The person who had seemed to be most excited about that was, surprisingly, Shudder. Dexter was still trying to figure out why._

" _I'll go check on her," he volunteered._

 _As Dexter was walking through the forest, he started to get slightly creeped out. He had the nagging feeling that someone, or something big was following him, but whenever he turned around, there was nothing there. He was just starting to think about turning back when he heard a noise behind. He spun around to see a wolf standing there. He frowned and started backing up slowly. Were wolves even native to this area? And was it going to attack him? When he looked closer, he saw that the wolf seemed to have very bright eyes. Very bright, human-like eyes._

 _Suddenly the wolf began to change. It stood up on two legs, the snout melted back into its face, the fur receded into its body, and Skye stood there glaring at Dexter._

" _You didn't need to come looking for me."_

" _You're a wolf?"_

 _Skye sighed. "I'm a shapeshifter. I can transform into different animals."_

 _Dexter was silent for a minute. "That is so cool." He paused again for a moment before continuing. "Wait, were you the bird I saw earlier?" Skye nodded._

" _So you can fly? That's awesome!"_

" _We should get back."_

" _Yeah, we should." As they started walking back to the campsite, Dexter turned to Skye._

" _So, can you turn into a dragon?"_

* * *

 **Don't worry, I will try to make the next chapter longer.**


End file.
